Flightless
by miss emtoo
Summary: Life is more difficult in high school. The girls are grown up now. What trials shall they overcome? (Fanfic Noir ;) *Complete* There's a Prequel now, too!
1. An Introduction To Senior Year

I look back at Mr. Harrison, who's sitting at his desk in the back of my class. I can tell he's taking roll, and in two minutes, like every day, he'll walk up to the front of the class, cough once, and ask for our homework. We'll hand our homework up to the front, he'll collect the stack, walk back to his desk, and shake his head. I'm supposed to be reading, and like usual, I'm not.

Mr. Harrison begins his walk to the front of the room. I giggle softly to myself and look at my watch. Class has just started, and it's only second period. I can't wait for fourth period. I have art that period and my favorite thing to do is draw. Tasha turns to me and asks, "Bubbles, where are you?" I jerk back to reality, and she finishes, "You were spacing out again, Bubbles. Let me guess: thinking about art again? Or maybe Ian? Not that you'd tell me if it was Ian, but you never know, maybe it could have been!"

"Uh! Tasha, that is not fair! You know I tell you everything!" I look around and realize that Mr. Harrison, and the rest of the class, are staring at Tasha and I. I look at her, we both giggle and turn around and face the front. I take out a pencil, and get ready to take notes. Mr. Harrison continues class, and I look out the window and daydream. 

The bell rings and I pack up my books, and walk out of the room. I walk to my next period class and smile when Ian walks in. He walks over to me, kisses me, and sits down next to me. I turn to him and ask, "Oh honey, can you come over and help me with my global studies project tonight? Mr. Harrison really loaded us up with homework."

"Yah, of course, Bubbly. I'll come over around six, alright?" he responds gently.

"Sounds great, sweetie." I look at him, and stick my tongue out. He points at the door, and I glance up. My sister walks into the classroom. "Hey Blossom, how's your day been going?" She sits down behind me and sighs. "That bad? Are you okay?"

"Well, yeah, but Ms. Chang is so difficult! I've only been in her Chinese classes since before I was going to this high school! She won't let me fly to China during class, and bring back some traditional food. She says 'It's against school policy.'" Blossom gives another exasperated, teenage sigh and rests her head on the desk.

In the middle of Blossom's ravings, Buttercup, my other sister, walks in and says, "You should try having math with Mr. Lawson, Blossom! He gave us homework after a test! It's like a law that you can't do that!" Buttercup and Blossom always seemed to have something to fight about, and today is no exception.

Our English Lit. teacher has started class, and says, "Alright students, let's break up into groups of four." Ian and I turn around to work with my sisters. I'm always the artist, Blossom always writes things down, and Ian and Buttercup usually have the best ideas. We make a really good team. Ian grabs my hand, and tickles my palm. I giggle, as quietly as I can, while Blossom listens for our instructions.

"Okay team, we're supposed to illustrate that story we read last night." Blossom dictates the instructions, and delegates responsibilities.

"Goody!" I squeal and get out my art paper and colored pencils. The three watch me work, and give me a few ideas and comments, but we finish before class is done. We hand the paper to Mrs. Keway and continue talking, like usual. 

Blossom stops talking for a while, and I can tell she's writing me a note. When you've been one of someone's identical triplets since you were five, you get to know them fairly well. When Blossom is upset, she always writes me a note. I guess you could say I'm the mediator of my sisters. I try to make, and keep, everyone happy, all the time.

The class ends, Blossom hands me the note, Ian grabs my hand and guides me to my next class, and the rest of the day fizzles into a romantic daydream. I spend a lot of time daydreaming, and drawing. In the middle of fifth period, I read Blossom's note. 

"Bubbles, Do you remember back when we were five? The matching dresses we used to wear? The way we all did our hair? The fact that we fought crime? Well, I remember it, and I miss it. I mean, I don't want to go back to wearing that bow... but I really do miss how close we all were. Buttercup and I fought back then too, but we fight even more now. And look at you! You're so popular with guys, I mean Ian, and I know of at least 6 other guys that like you. I'm 18 years old and I've never even kissed a boy. I'm a senior in high school and I've never been on a date; I used to be the "pretty" one, too! I know that you know that I wasn't upset about my Chinese class. I just was wondering if tonight, I mean, after Ian leaves, we could just talk - like we used to? Well, I'll be in my room tonight, so you can stop by anytime. Always, Blossom"

I look down at my feet after reading the note, and see my blue and white Nikes. The next thing I know, they're walking me down the street toward home. I walk in my front door, and yell, "Professor, I'm home, but I'm going to work now!"

"Okay Bubbles, will you be home at the usual time?" Professor Utonium really was a good dad. Just a little over-protective sometimes.

"Yeah, before six!" I walk upstairs, drop off my bag, and run back downstairs. I hop out the door, and down the two steps up to our house, and walk to my part-time job at Pokey Oaks Kindergarten, with Ms. Keane.

I applied for an internship with Ms. Keane this year, and was accepted for it. I help her make activities and things for the kids to do. Realistically, I don't think I ever grew up from kindergarten. I start working on a craft to help the children learn about birds. I work for a while, and look down at my watch. I realize it's 5:30; I've already been there two hours. It's time to go home. I let Ms. Keane know how far I've gotten and that I'm leaving, and I walk out the door.

Humming, I walk upstairs to brush my hair. I look in the mirror at the 18 year-old staring back. Her shoulder-length blonde hair, blue eyes, and skinny, 5'7" body are only slightly like those of her sisters. The girl in the mirror knows everything that I don't. She knows why Blossom is so upset. I talk to her, "Will everything be okay?" Of course, she doesn't reply, because she's just my reflection. I'm startled when I hear the doorbell, and go running downstairs to answer it.

"Hi, Ian." we walk upstairs, into my room, and start working on my project. "I can tell you anything, right?" Ian nods a conscious, but silent, yes. "Well, I'm worried about Blossom, she wrote me a note today, so after you leave I'm going to go talk to her, and I just don't want her to be upset." He always knows exactly what to say to make me feel better, and he just reminds me that she's Blossom, and is always worried about something, and she's probably fine. I breathe a sigh of relief, and give him a kiss. We finish working on my project and it's time for him to leave. I walk him to the door, and tell him I'll see him tomorrow.

I find myself in the hallway outside Blossom's room. I am about to walk into her room, when I hear something on the other side of the door. I stop and listen for a moment. I know I shouldn't, but I'm nosy, I guess. It almost sounds like she's crying. I figure that isn't true. It's Blossom, and she's always been the stable one. I knock. "Who is it?" her voice sounds strangely nervous. I tell her it's me, and she asks me to come in, and hurry and shut the door. I was not expecting to see what I see.


	2. The Secret Revealed

I look at Blossom and can tell she's been crying. "What's wrong Blossom?" She was always the strong, together one. I look around her room, while I wait for her to answer.

"Bubbles, can I show you something?" I slowly nod a yes to her question. I'm so scared, I don't understand what the tone of her voice is saying. Is she sad? Is she scared? I'm not used to this voice. This voice is shaky and nervous. She rolls up her sleeves and I stand up, expecting her to get something out of her closet or something.

I see marker on her arm. It almost looks like Henna at first glance. I realize it isn't marker, or Henna, "Those are scars, aren't they Blossom?" She nods her head slowly, like I did. I look at her, confused. "But when? Why?"

"Bubbles, I know you don't understand this; you're always so happy, but I'm not. I've been depressed since the beginning of our junior year. I started cutting myself sometime toward the middle of that year. I've stopped though. Don't worry. I'm fine. I know it's bad, and I wasn't trying to kill myself, I was just trying to get away from the pain." while she says all this, I look at her. I really look at her. I look past her long red hair, which has been the same length since she was five; I look past her jeans and t-shirt; I look past her physical and try to see her mental state. Her eyes say it all - utter sadness. 

I don't remember ever being that sad. I don't remember Blossom ever being that sad. She always seems so real - so Miss Suzy High School. I don't know what to say to her. I realize she hasn't said anything for a moment. It's my turn to say something. I look at her for another moment, and hug her. I tell her I love her and that she's okay - that I'm okay. She begins to say something, but stops herself. I wonder to myself how much it hurt to do that. She starts crying again. I still don't know what to say.

I stumble around for words, and tell her, "Blossom, you've always been perfect in my mind. You're my perfect sister, whom I've always been jealous of. You've always had the interest of all the boys, and you've always had the most friends. You're strong, and I know we'll get through this together. I won't let us not." I give her another hug, and she talks. She tells me about everything she's been going through. Why she's so sad - everything. We talk through her problems until late at night. Finally, we decide to go to bed, both of us feel good, and we're happy.

It's morning now, and we're sitting at the breakfast table. Buttercup is across from me. Blossom is on my left, and the Professor is on my right. I made myself cinnamon and sugar toast this morning, and as I eat it, Buttercup chomps down a granola bar. Blossom and Professor are both eating bacon and eggs. I finish my breakfast and put my dishes in the sink.

I go to leave the house and I walk past the full-length mirror in the entryway. I look at my clothes. I look at my body. I look at what I've grown up to be. I'm so different from the way everyone remembers me - as that five year-old crime-fighter. I'm still the same person though. I do kind of miss flying though. I miss being with my sisters all the time. I hardly ever see them anymore. I realize I'm day dreaming again, and that if I don't leave now I'm going to be late.

I arrive at my locker right on time. I must have walked faster than usual. Tasha walks over to me; I smile when I see her, and she grabs my left hand. "No ring? Wow Bubbles, with how much time you've been spending with Ian lately, I'd expect you to be married already! I mean, you haven't been to my house in days, and we used to practically live together!"

"Well, come over to my house once in a while! Jeez Tasha! You know I'm afraid of your brother. We could make cupcakes." I know this will tempt her. She loves cupcakes.

"Okay, deal. I'll come over today around four, alright? You don't work Fridays do you?" 

"Just Monday through Thursday, I'm free the rest of the time. Bring your CDs though, alright? We don't get any good radio stations on our kitchen radio for some reason." I turn to her, after I realize I had been moving my books around in my locker during our whole conversation. She's making faces at me. "My favorite is your pig face, Tash! Oink, oink!" I push my nose up, like a pig, as I'm teasing her.

I close my locker, and we walk to first period. I sit by the window in all my classes, so that I can daydream. I look out the window and daydream, but I don't daydream the usual, it was just a momentary flash of green, and then it was gone. I must be remembering my childhood. I've been thinking about that a lot lately.

I walk home past the park where the observatory is. I remember Mojo Jojo. I wonder what he's doing right now. Then I realize that I don't. It's Mojo Jojo; he never was a very nice monkey. I look to my right and see a little squirrel climb a tree. I stop and talk to him. He tells me I'm going to be late, so I walk a little faster.

I arrive home and feed my guinea pigs. They squeak a tender thank you, and I walk downstairs just as Tasha arrives. Buttercup walks in, greets Tasha, and says if we need her that she'll be in her room, doing homework, probably all night, and she already had dinner. Tasha and I look at each other, and shrug. We always knew she was weird anyway, this isn't weirder than usual.

Tasha and I start cooking. I love to cook, but only with friends. "Hey, Bubbles, where's Blossom?" Tasha pries. I tell her she'll be home soon. She gets a ride with her friend, Lizah. "Can I ask you something Bubs?"

"Yeah, of course, Tash, what is it?" I know it'll be something important; she almost never calls me Bubs.

"Why don't you guys fly anymore? I mean sure, Blossom talks about it still, but you and Buttercup never even mention it. It seems like it'd be handy; none of you have cars or anything." she has the best intentions while asking. She just doesn't know.

"It was a long story. I'll tell you another time - maybe later tonight." I just don't have the patience to tell her right now. "Hey, I know, let's go take Buttercup some of these cupcakes; homework can't be any fun!" She agrees and we walk upstairs to her room.

We open the door. I never knock on Buttercup's door, that way she knows it's me. She's sitting at her desk. "I knew you guys would bring me one, you rock! If you want, you can come back around three this morning and we can hang out like we used to. Hey, you could even invite Blossom and we could have a party!" We all giggled and Tasha and I left.

"Well, it looks like we're staying up all night, like always, Tash." I listen carefully and hear the familiar sound of Buttercup in her room, sneaking out. If I went in her room right now the bathroom door would be shut, as if she were in her bathroom. There would be a note under her pillow, letting me know where she'd be, phone numbers, and what would be going on, in case she needed help, or we needed her. I usher her back into Buttercup's room so we could read the note. She was used to this too, so we thought we knew what we were going to find. My sisters are always full of surprises though.


	3. How Much Longer Do We Have To Wait?

I see Buttercup sitting in her room, with her bathroom door open. My jaw drops, I turn to Tasha, see that her jaw has dropped as well, and then ask who the guy is sitting next to her. She blushes a deep shade of red. So does he, for that matter. I've never seen a boy in Buttercup's room. "He's... he's..." Buttercup stutters for a moment, until she's interrupted by the boy.

"I'm Jake. You must be Bubbles, and you're Tasha, right? I think I have Mr. Harrison's class with you." I could tell he was confident, because even in this embarrassing situation, he was sure of himself. Now that I think about it, he does look familiar.

Buttercup speaks up, "He's just a friend, guys. Really, you guys can go. He's helping me with... homework, yeah, that's it - homework!" Her voice sounds nervous and shaky. I look at her, and with my eyes I ask if she thinks I believe that, and she subtly shakes her head no.

I turn to Tasha and ask, "So, ready to go eat our cupcakes?" She looks at me, giggles, and we walk out of the room. Quickly, we walk down to my room, and collapse in a fit of giggles on my bed. 

"Okay, was it just me or did Buttercup have a boy in her room? And, was it just me or was he hot? And how long do you think this has been going on? This is, so, not like her! I mean, she's had boyfriends, but they were like in middle school. I mean, what is this, The Twilight Zone or something? I don't know how to accept this! I don't even have a boyfriend, and Buttercup is such a tomboy!" Tasha's voice is so worked up that I tell her to chill.

"Calm down, Tasha. It's just a boy, maybe they really are just friends. We need to be quiet though so that Professor doesn't come and see a boy in the house that he doesn't know. So, relax, we'll go in at three like she said earlier and we'll take Blossom and find out what's going on with everyone!" I could hear my own voice sounded nervous, even if I was prepared to hear about Buttercup's boy. I told her we should go tell Blossom about the three o'clock meeting. 

I knock on Blossom's door and we get invited in. "Hey girls, what's up? Sorry, I didn't say hi to you earlier, Tasha. I didn't know you were at our house. So, what brings you to my room?" Blossom shuffles with the papers in her hand while she speaks.

"Tasha, do you want to tell her? Or should I?" I ask her and she says that I can. "Okay, well, Buttercup has a boy in her room. I don't know what they were doing, but his name is Jake and we have a class with him. We're going to have a three o'clock meeting in her room, okay?" She nods her head and Tasha and I leave quickly until we can see Buttercup and Blossom again.


	4. The Meeting

Tasha and I see the clock on my dresser says three o'clock. We walk out of my room and down the hall to Buttercup's room. The door looks solemn, yet inviting. It reminds me of growing up. We used to have these little get-togethers once every week. It was a nice way for us to get to know each other well. Now, it seems like a way for us to get back in touch. Tasha has always been like a member of the family, and she's always been going to our gatherings.

We walk into Buttercup's room and take our usual spots. I sit in her black and blue bean bag, and Tasha sprawls out across the floor. Jake looks down on us from his spot on the bed, and I sigh because I forgot my pens. I always bring paper and pens to color with. I figure I don't need them this time. I shouldn't get too bored. I mean, we were going to find out about Jake.

Blossom walks in and sits down next to Tasha, and Tasha starts braiding Blossom's hair. I look up at Buttercup and Jake, who are next to each other on the bed. Buttercup's hair has lightened a lot since she was younger. It's a fairly light brown now. Her eyes have a new sparkle to them though. She's always had a sparkle, but this is different. I can't put my finger on it.

Jake looks slightly awkward amongst the four girls. I giggle out loud at the thought. The girls all look at me, and roll their eyes, like usual. They think I giggle for no reason, but I always have a reason. Life is just funny for me. I stick out my tongue at all of them, and then we all giggle - well, except Jake. He's still looking nervous. He looks quite different than Buttercup. His spiky, punk blonde hair is a sharp contrast to her smooth, athletic ponytail. They do seem quite similar though, in their personalities.

Blossom is the first to actually speak, "Okay, well, since no one is going to introduce us, I'm Blossom; you must be Jake. I've actually heard nothing about you, so why don't you tell us a little something about yourself?"

Jake stutters for a second before he can talk, "I... Well... I..." Buttercup jabs him with her elbow, and he continues "I'm Jake. I'm just Jake - nothing more to say."

"Well, then what is up with you two? Bubbles and Tasha find you two together in here, and you're not even going to spill the beans?" I can hear Blossom's impatience in every word. I want to know what's going on too, but I'm not mad at her. She must be hiding something. Otherwise why would she be talking like this?

Buttercup answers quickly, but still sounding unsure, "Jake and I are, well, together." He smiles at her, and she becomes slightly more confident, "We've been together since freshman year, and haven't told anyone. Soon we're going to leave. We won't have to worry about anyone telling us no. Once we graduate, we're just going to leave."

Blossom and I stare at her, in shock. I turn to Tasha, and she looks as if she's seen a ghost. Buttercup sees our reactions and asks if we're all okay. We all nod. We are fine after all - just surprised. "What are you going to tell Professor," I ask, truly concerned about how he'll take it.

"We're not going to tell him. He'll get over it. He doesn't really even like me. He likes you two, and puts up with me." I swear, Buttercup is crazy sometimes. When she says things like this, I just barely know how to respond.

"That is not true Buttercup! He loves us all. He's our dad! If it wasn't true, he wouldn't have taken care of us for so long, or put up with our crime fighting, or anything! He wouldn't specially buy you granola, or let you do sports that cost him extra money if he didn't like you." I argue with her. I know I'm right this time. I hate arguing and I hate when my sisters are sad. I'm starting to get sad. Tasha senses this and pats me on the shoulder. 

Blossom sparks up, "Buttercup, you're lucky. You're happy. I haven't been happy in years. Just think about talking to the Professor about it. You know that he'd appreciate you telling him. He isn't heartless." 

"Then why haven't you talked to him about your suicide attempts Blossom?" Buttercup never gets so defensive this early.

"Suicide attempts? Whoa, back up, please." Now Tasha has joined the conversation.

Tasha gasps as Blossom slowly rolls up her sleeves. "It was nothing, really, I was just upset one day." 

I'm nearly in tears now. Jake looks at me and smiles. I don't know why, but this makes me happier. He seems like a good person. I'm usually a good judge of character, and I like him. "Buttercup, I like him. If he makes you happy, do what you need to do. Professor will understand either way. We have to be here to help each other, and hug each other! That's what we do! Duh!" Somehow, what I just said, struck a cord in my sisters and I. We looked at each other and smiled. I know now we'll all be okay.

Jake looks at his watch. He realizes he needs to go; his curfew is in twenty minutes. Now that Jake is gone, it's more like we're used to. Things seem more normal - more comfortable. We talk for a while about life, love, and everything else.

Professor knocks on the door, and we all jump. He opens the door, after we invite him in, and speaks slowly, "Ah, girls, just like old times! Hello, Tasha, did you save me any cupcakes?" Professor knows us all so well. Tasha nods a yes to him and he winks. "Okay girls, just try to keep it down, I'm going to bed after one of those cupcakes."

We all giggle hysterically, and Blossom brings up a good point, "Why is he just now going to bed? It's nearly five o'clock!" We all shake it off as another quirk of the Professor's and continue giggling.

Tasha brings us all to silence again though. "Why don't you guys fly anymore?" We all look at her. We look at each other. The tension in the room climbs. Do we tell her about our secret? Blossom and Buttercup nod at me and I grimace.

"Well, it's a long story, like I told you earlier, but here goes. It was a warm Sunday, the kind you don't forget. You know, when really bad things happen. We were seven years old. You had been over at our house that day, and you had just gone home. We were all cleaning the house, using our superpowers, and something happened. We were in the lab." I can barely speak, I've started sniffling. I'm going to cry. I cry a lot, but I haven't thought about this in nine years. This is especially traumatic. 

"Bubbles, let me do it! You're such a baby!" Buttercup still acts like she's five. Well, so do I, but still. "Before I finish this story, let's get some snacks; I'm hungry!" We file out of her room and down to the kitchen. In the kitchen, Tasha snaps on the light, and everything has been ransacked. "What the hell is going on?" Buttercup's shout can probably be heard all over the downstairs of our house. We see a paper sitting on the table, we walk over to read it.


	5. In The Kitchen

"Bubbles, I cannot forgive you for this! I mean, Jake Karzet? I saw him climb into your window. Angie Rena told me what you've been doing with him. You cheated on me with that blonde punk? Well, I can't deal with that! I'm never speaking to you again, Bubbles. -Ian" We are all silent after Blossom finishes reading the name scrawled across the bottom of the page. I start crying. I am so confused; I just met Jake today, practically.

I'm still crying; everyone else is still silent. We look and see that a window is broken, and there are glass shards everywhere. I see movement out of the corner of my eye and scream. There is nothing there though; it's just my imagination. Professor, luckily, hears my scream and races down the stairs to where we're all standing, in shock. He calls the police. Nothing is missing. Our dishes are all broken. 

Luckily, Professor doesn't know what Ian had meant about Jake. Buttercup wouldn't be able to live that down. She would probably run away. Though, I wonder what Professor thinks about me. I just want everyone to be happy. Why is this all happening?

Angie Rena? I ask myself, thinking back to the note. I was in her homeroom last year. We competed for the same part in the play last year. She was cast as my understudy. I didn't realize that she was that upset. I would have given her the part. Why would she spread lies about me though? This is how rumors get started. I just know her through school and she could have gotten me killed - or worse, my sisters killed.

What if I had been in the kitchen when Ian was here? What would he have done? The police haven't left yet, and I have a horrible feeling, so I run upstairs. I find my room in the same shambles as my kitchen. He had been in my room. He had thrown all of my clothes on my floor. Was he looking for something? I am frantically pawing through my brain for anything he could have been looking for.

I figure it out quicker than he obviously found it - my diary! Could he have taken my diary to find out if what he had heard was true? I searched my top desk drawer for it, but I didn't find it. He had it. I always put it back in the same place. 

I run back downstairs to tell everyone that my room has also been rummaged through. I tell them that my diary is missing. Everyone is probably wondering the same thing: If all he wanted was my diary, why did he ransack the kitchen?

The police ask a few more questions and tell us they will do what they can do. They leave, and the Professor asks what Tasha thinks she should do. She tells him that she needs to stay with me right now. The Professor agrees, and says we all need to stay away from Buttercup's room, and my room, for safety's sake. 

I am surprised by the fact that Professor hasn't asked more questions - maybe he knows more than he's letting on. I wonder if he knows about Jake. I am still crying on and off. It's now morning, and I'm too afraid to be tired.

Buttercup, Blossom, and Tasha all drag me into Blossom's room. "Bubbles," Buttercup begins, forcefully, "You knew Ian was dangerous, didn't you? You knew he was capable of this. I can tell. You're not nearly as surprised as the rest of us."

I just look at them for a moment. I nod, silently, and begin to speak, "He is a great boyfriend. I just don't always act the way I should. He's teaching me. It doesn't really hurt me; it helps me."

They all look at me for a moment. I don't know why they're looking at me like that - like I'm crazy, or something. Blossom speaks this time, "He hits you?" Her voice is shaking.

"I told you: he's teaching me. I do bad things, and he helps me learn that they're bad." I don't understand why they're still looking at me like that. Buttercup is beginning to look angry. I am so confused.

"Tasha, did you know about this?" Blossom demands.

"No! I had no idea. Bubbles is always happy. She only told me good things about Ian." My best friend answers.

The anger is rising in Blossom's voice, "Bubbles, did he leave any scars, or bruises? What he did was not okay. We will never let him hurt you again Bubbles. We love you; he doesn't. He wasn't helping you. He was hurting you."

I'm crying again, so between snuffles I say, "Yes, there are bruises. They're on my legs, and back. Why would Ian lie to me? I was so happy. He was so happy. Look, he loved me so much that he broke into our house, when he thought I was cheating on him. He's a good guy. Don't be mad at him."

The other three girls are staring at me in disbelief. I love him. He wouldn't hurt me. Why don't they understand? He just wanted to help me be a better girlfriend. I'm daydreaming again, and when I come back to reality, I realize Tasha is crying. Why are they making such a big deal out of this? I ask Buttercup, "Doesn't Jake teach you, too? He cares about you; I can tell! You understand, right, Buttercup?"

"No, Bubbles, Ian is a bad person, and I want to beat the shit out of him right now. Do you know where he would be." I shake my head to Buttercup's question. I let her know she might want to go check on Jake though. I think he might want to teach Jake a lesson. Buttercup yells, "Fuck! I'll be back!" She flies out the window and down the street.

The rest of us drop our jaws in disbelief. None of us have flown in years. She did it without even thinking. Tasha is looking at the two of us. I think we're just as confused as she is right now.


	6. Just Tell Me Already

Blossom, Tasha, and I are still sitting in Blossom's room when Buttercup flies back in, carrying Jake. We look at her for a moment, and she gracefully lands next to us all. I see Jake look at us all again. I can tell he's wondering why we're so confused. I giggle nervously and Tasha taps me on the shoulder. I know she wants me to tell her about the flying.

I don't know what to say. I don't know how to say anything. Buttercup just flew. I need to tell Tasha about what happened. First, I need to figure out how Buttercup knew she can still fly. I close my eyes softly and feel that familiar feeling. I don't feel the floor below my feet any longer. I open my eyes and look down. I am about four feet off the floor.

I look around the room and see that Blossom has also risen off the floor. She looks at me and smiles. I slowly fly over to the other corner of the room and giggle. Sleep deprivation is beginning to kick in. The next thing I know, I'm staring at Buttercup's ceiling. "Wha - wha - what happened?" I'm looking at them all, baffled as to why I'm here.

The girls are standing above me. Tasha tells me, "You were flying around the room, and you started getting really shaky, and then you just fell." I went to reply and they shushed me, and had me move down to the sleeping bag on the floor.

Blossom tells me "Bubbles, you need sleep. You've been through a lot tonight and you need rest. We all need sleep."

I wake up and look at the green digits of Buttercup's alarm clock. I see that it's five o'clock. I don't know when we went to sleep, but I look around and I'm alone. I get up and walk downstairs. I see Buttercup, Blossom, and Jake sitting in the living room. They all turn around when I walk in and I smile. "Tasha had to go home, Bubbles. Professor told us that it would be best." Blossom told us.

Buttercup and Jake sit together on the couch; Blossom is on the floor, facing them, in front of the coffee table. I'm still a little groggy and I go sit next to Blossom. Buttercup turns her attention away from Jake for a moment to tell me, "We told Tasha why you haven't been flying. She didn't think it was weird or anything. So, don't worry."

"Well, how'd you tell her?" I ask her nervously.

"Bubbles, that isn't important right now, what is important is how you're feeling." Blossom is always trying to take care of me.

"I'm fine, sis. How's Jake doing? And you two? I'm really sorry, girls. I'm really sorry to you too, Jake." I feel so bad. I don't know why this is all happening. I wonder what people are saying about us. School is going to be horrible.

Jake just nods in response to my apology. I just want to know what they told Tasha. Why won't they tell me? It's not that big of a deal, really. I just want to know how they told her.

I decide to call Tasha. I turn around and run upstairs. I need to call her from my room, so that I have privacy. I jump when I open my door. I look around my room, which is still in the same disarray that it was yesterday. I pick up the phone and dial Tasha's number.

The phone rings, and rings. I finally hang up the phone and slowly drift down the stairs. I look down and see that I'm floating, which at first shocks me, but then I decide that it's okay, and I continue floating down the stairs.

I sit down at the bottom of the stairs, and rest my face in my hands. I just sit and think. Professor walks over to me and sits next to me. "Are you alright, Bubbles? You've been through a lot lately, is there anything you need to talk about?"

I look up at him, like I did when I was five - in awe of how much he always cares about us. I don't know what I can tell him though. I don't want him to hate me. I don't want him to hate Ian either. I know my sisters already do. They don't understand. I know Professor won't understand either. I let out a light sigh and tell him that I'll be fine - that I just need some time to take it all in. 

I, of course, know why we don't fly anymore. I just want to know how much of the story Tasha knows now. My sisters probably aren't the best at telling that story. I remember the day so clearly. I bet they don't even remember how sunny it was.

It was one of those really hot days, when the weathercasters joke about putting the parkas away. I never understood that joke until that day actually. The girls and I were flying around the park. We had taken a detour from our usual trip to school, to play in Mojo Jojo's moat. It was so hot that day. We were only five years old. We didn't think that anything could happen on such a pretty day.

We realized that we were going to be late for school, but Mojo Jojo stopped us before we could leave. He said that we were not to play in his moat, because it was not our moat; it was his moat, therefore it should not be played in by us. We flew up and danced around him. We were all happy, and giggling even Buttercup.

We must have scared him. He kind of jumped. He kind of fell - all the way down from the door of his observatory to the ground of the park. We all kind of stopped. We flew down to see if he was okay. It had been such a pretty day.

Sure, we had been in tons of battles. We'd never really lost. Yet, we'd never really won either. We'd never killed anyone either. He was dead when we reached him. I froze. I still don't know what happened. I was told that Blossom called the paramedics. I just fell to the ground.

The next day at school, the kids teased us, and yelled at us. They called us "killers" and "freaks." They made me cry. They made Blossom cry. They even made Buttercup cry. At recess we didn't play. Throughout the day we didn't use our superpowers. We stopped fighting crime. We never used our infamous superpowers again. We weren't superheroes anymore. It could have been such a beautiful day.

I think back on that day and start to cry. I just sit on the bottom stair of our quaint, little house and cry - for what feels like hours. I can't believe I flew again. It feels like I wasted Mojo Jojo's death. Like I ruined his existence. He devoted his life to ruining the Powerpuff Girls, and in his death, he succeeded. I don't know how to feel. Should I be sad that we've all flown again? Or should I be happy?

I sit on the bottom step, and I contemplate everything that's gone on through my life. Why are kids at school so cruel? We didn't mean to kill him. We were just playing. Why did Angie tell Ian that lie? Poor Buttercup, I wonder what she is going through. I dread school. What will they say? How will they treat me? Will I see Ian? What will he say?

Professor walks up to me and hands me a plate of food. I notice it's my favorite food. Professor always knows how to cheer me up. He doesn't say a word, because he knows that is best. I know he cares, and he knows I'm okay.

I walk back upstairs to my room to clean. I open the door slowly and walk in. I sit down on my bed, which is right next to my window. I feel my eyelids begin to droop, and I fall over onto my pillow and fall asleep.


	7. No Worries At All

I wake up, wondering where I am. It's dark now, and I am not in my room. I fell asleep in my room. Where am I now? My eyes begin to adjust to the darkness and I realize I am in the living room, in a sleeping bag. Jake is next to me, on the right. Blossom is on my left side. I sit up quickly, still wondering how I got here. I look up and see that the Professor is on the couch near us. 

I see Blossom stir next to me, and I hope she wakes up. As if she could hear me, she opens her eyes and whispers, "Are you okay Bubbles?"

I reply softly, "How did I wind up in here? I thought I fell asleep in my room."

"You did, but we heard a crashing sound, and when we got to your room, your window was broken and there was a brick on the floor. There was a note attached to the brick, so we didn't think it was safe for you to be alone." I can see the outline of her perfect hair as she speaks. I know that she cares so much about me.

"What did the note say?" I think about how much pain I'm putting everyone through.

"Oh it wasn't anything really. Just don't worry Bubbles. We won't let anything happen to you." I can hear worry in her voice. How am I supposed to not worry if Blossom is obviously worried?

"Oh. Okay. So, my room is a disaster? Since I'm awake I should probably go clean it." I go to stand up and Blossom touches my leg.

"Bubbles, it's not safe. You need to stay here with us. Professor told us to all watch you." Blossom is so protective of me.

"I'm not a baby, Blossom. I think I can take care of myself by now. I mean, I'm eighteen. I'm an adult." As I speak, I feel my voice get louder. I don't care. If I wake everyone else up, so be it. I'm tired of them treating me like the baby.

"Bubbles, calm down. You're cranky. You haven't gotten all the sleep you need. I'll help you clean your room in the morning, when we know that no one's throwing dynamite in through your window. It's just not safe for any of us up there right now." I know she's right. It doesn't feel good to know that though. She starts to speak again, "I know what you're thinking, you want your music. We brought down your CDs and your Discman in case you wanted to listen."

I smile at how sweet that is. They do know me too well. She sees that I've calmed down and no longer want to go upstairs. She goes back to sleep and I grab my headphones and pick out a nice relaxing CD. I fall back to sleep listening to music.

I wake up to see only Jake next to me. Everyone else must already be awake. I hop softly over Jake and wander into the kitchen. They must all have cleaned the kitchen this morning. I reach into the pantry and grab a granola bar.

I decide to walk up to my room and I slowly plod up the stairs. I'm still a little tired. I admit to myself that I have been through a lot this weekend. I walk into my room and it's clean. I look around for a moment and find the note. "Bubbles, We love you. Bloss, and BC"

Sometimes I do think they're sweet. I race back down to the kitchen and without realizing, go into super speed mode. I get out a whole mess of food (luckily the refrigerator and pantry were left well-enough alone) and make all my sisters' favorite foods. The smell must have gotten to them, because I turn around to see them standing in the pass through to the living room. I also notice Jake is standing behind them, practically drooling. I giggle, and ask, "Hungry?"

Blossom and Buttercup both yell, "Well, yeah!" The three race in, and find plates to serve themselves on. Considering that all of the plates had been smashed, they found paper plates, luckily. Otherwise I think they would have just stood over the sink and eaten.

Buttercup and Jake haul their plates back into the living room and turn on a football game. They're sitting really close and Buttercup feeds Jake a gooey, fudge brownie. He has a little whipped cream on his piece of apple pie, and he puts some on her nose. On this note, I realize they don't want me around, so Blossom and I head back into the kitchen, to sit at the table.

Immediately, we both start giggling like mad. That was the first time we'd ever seen Buttercup do anything remotely that cute. We pass it off as a Coming-Of-Age for her, and I watch her eat her treats. We talk for a little longer about Buttercup, and how different she's always been. I decide to leave them all to their own fun, and I go over to Professor's lab's door.

I knock softly on the painted, gray wood, and slowly I open the door and stroll down that short staircase. I see Professor look up as I get to the bottom. I give him a huge hug. I know I need to tell him everything. I start with Ian and the lies, and then I show him one of my bruises.

I didn't think Professor would make this big of a deal over the bruises. He pulls over a chair and tells me about how wrong Ian was - how unfair all that was. I start to cry, like usual, and he tells me everything will be fine. He says that we need to tell the police.

I'm not so ready to tell the police anything. He always warned me not to tell the police. I ask the Professor what the note on the brick said. He tells me that it was an empty threat, and that I really shouldn't worry - everything will be fine. He tells me that he is going to call the police back over, to tell them about everything he's recently learned.

I get a little worried when I hear his voice. Even the Professor sounds worried about me. While I think about their worry, I hear the sharp, tinkling sound of glass shattering, and then the familiar zip of my sisters flying in to investigate. I find myself zipping myself up the stairs to see what happened also. 

I gasp when I look into my room and see the shattered remains of a ceramic puppy. The hand-painted details seem to cry as I look at them. We all notice another note attached to the tail of the puppy. I could see the dread in all of our eyes. How many notes do we have to put up with? I'm the first to walk forward and pick up the note. I read over it slowly, and am so upset by it, that my body gives way and I fall to the floor.


	8. Drops Keep Falling

I wake up, feeling numb. Shouldn't I be missing Ian? He said he loved me, and I said I loved him. Shouldn't I be feeling something? Did I really not care about him? Or am I just a horrible monster?

I look around to see where I am. I'm in the hallway, where I fell earlier. My sisters are sitting on my bed, looking down on me. I'm still groggy. Why did I pass out? I see the shattered remains of the ceramic puppy and remember the note - such horrible words.

I think back, trying to remember the exact words. My memory is fuzzy. It said something about death. What did it say? I look toward the floor. I remember it saying that I hadn't learned my lesson yet.

I look to Blossom, and she knows what I want. She reads the note back to me, "You stupid girl. You don't learn, do you? I told you never to tell anyone about our secrets. I know you have been talking, Bubbly. You don't know how mad that makes me. Your sisters have to die for this. It is the only way you will learn." I look to my sisters after she finishes reading. They look back at me, speechless.

What have I done to get everyone into this kind of mess? I just want everyone to be happy. The police arrive at our house. We make sure they know everything that we know. I'm very scared. The police look at me as a victim, not as a person. I see the way they look at me, as if I can't take care of myself - as if I think my problems are better than anyone else's. They don't understand. I can take care of myself. They just won't let me try.

The police leave, and a feeling of dread washes over me. I wonder where Jake has been this whole time. I walk upstairs and knock on Buttercup's door. She invites me in, and I open the door to see her and Jake. Jake has this nervous look on his face. He looks at me with a look that is begging me to leave.

I ask Buttercup, "Did you want me to bring you two up any lunch?" just as a way to leave quickly. Jake seems like a nice guy, but the look on his face made me want to leave. Buttercup tells me no, and I nod. I smile at her, and walk back out of the room.

On the other side of the door, I hear Buttercup say, "That was weird." I walk down the hall to Blossom's room and walk in. I tell her that I don't want to be alone right now, and sprawl out on her floor. I just want to cry. I want her to give me a hug and tell me that everything is fine - that there is nothing to worry about, but she can't. She is sitting at her desk, writing in her journal. She knows I'm in the room, but her journal is important to her. She likes to get her feelings down while she is feeling them, instead of after.

She finishes writing and turns to me. She smiles at me, shakily. She has really pretty teeth. I notice stupid things like that, at bad times like these. I can't speak. She holds up her index finger, to tell me to hold on one second. I can tell that she is trying not to cry. She stands up and walks to her perfectly organized closet. Her clothes are actually alphabetized by color. 

She comes back out of her closet with a game - a board game. For some reason, a board game sounds really good right now. I want to be the blue piece, so I reach for it. Blossom cuts me off as she grabs for the red piece. We both giggle sharply, remembering when we were kids. We were always red and blue, and Buttercup was always green.

I look up at her wall clock and realize we've been playing for an hour. I go to take my turn, and I hear a shout - a loud shout. Buttercup is very mad. She only shouts like that when she's very mad. I look at Blossom. She makes a very worried face at me, and we both stand up to investigate.

We hurry into Buttercup's room to find her yelling at Jake, "You didn't think it was stupid? Why would you do that to a person? What is your problem? You tell me something like that, and then claim that you love me? I don't even know how... argh!" Buttercup just got bored of telling Jake off. I wonder what she was talking about. It was obviously bad. Neither of them have noticed that Blossom and I have entered. Finally Buttercup looks in our direction, and begins to rant about what a fool he is.

"Buttercup, calm down, start from the beginning. Jake, sit down. We're not through with you" Blossom can be very bossy sometimes.

"Jake just told me that he only went out with me originally because of a bet. He told me that he and Ian were going to try to make us hate each other. Then I guess he realized he actually liked me as a person, and tried to back out of the deal. Ian got mad and said that he would do it himself. To make matters worse, I guess Jake still has been helping Ian out here and there. So, I don't know what to think. There I go rescuing him, and well, it's all his fault to begin with!" Buttercup turns to Jake and glares after she finishes speaking.

I don't know what to think. I thought Jake was a good guy. How could he be helping Ian? I try to work all this out in my head. I don't understand how people can be so mean - so heartless. I turn back to Buttercup and say, "Maybe he didn't realize what he was doing."

Jake pipes in, "You guys don't have to talk about me as if I'm not here, you know. It's rather rude."

"Can it, jerk boy. You have no right to tell us we're being rude." Blossom must really be angry - usually she at least comes up with an intellectual insult. I don't think I've ever heard her tell someone to "can it" either.

Jake doesn't speak; I'm sure he felt the anger in her voice. Blossom looks at him and smirks proudly. Buttercup looks around the room, probably looking for a murder weapon - luckily, she can't find any. I stand near them all, watching, and waiting. Will they ask me to help them do anything? I hope they do, but they probably won't. I want to be a part of my own life for once.

Blossom and Buttercup both turn to Jake and simultaneously ask, "What else do you know? What will he do next?" 

Jake stares at them both for a moment and says that he can't tell them. "I can't betray a friend's trust like that. I'm sorry girls, you're on your own for this one. I know, Buttercup, you hate me. There's nothing I can do about that. I screwed up, and I'm going to leave now. You're strong, Buttercup; you'll make it through this." Jake finishes his speech, and walks out of the room.

We all watch him leave. There is nothing we can do. It almost looks like Buttercup is about to cry. She stutters a simple, "B - b - b - but... h - he... I..... he can't do that!" Buttercup actually starts sobbing. I don't know how to react. I've never seen her cry as hard as she is crying now. Big, fat tears roll down her cheeks, and Blossom immediately rushes to her side. 

Blossom mouths to me that I should leave. She doesn't want me to upset Buttercup. I walk to Buttercup, and give her a hug, and walk back out of the room. I head downstairs, to look out the windows to the street. I look out, and all I see is Jake on the ground. He seems to be bleeding, and isn't moving. I scream for help, and Professor races outside. I race to the phone, to call the paramedics. I just hope we can help him.


	9. Falling Asleep

Jake's once khaki cargo pants are now covered in big red splotches. Jake isn't moving. I called the paramedics. Why aren't they here yet? I don't want anything to happen to Jake. He is a good person. His body is sprawled so awkwardly on the sidewalk - he looks fake. It looks like a horror movie.

I hear the distant sound of sirens. They have to take him to the hospital. He still isn't moving. I can't deal with this. This is all my fault. Why do things have to go so wrong? Why did anything happen to Jake? It wasn't his fault, really. It was mine. I'm too trusting. I like people too much. 

I need to go somewhere. I need to run. I need to go back to kindergarten - everything was happier in kindergarten. Now I'm in high school. Things are horrible in high school. Why should someone's lives be threatened, just because they're 13 years older? My life is miserable now, because of one boy, and a few lies. In kindergarten it was a letdown if you couldn't play with the good ball during recess. Now, I have to worry about someone killing my sisters, or the Professor.

The police came with the paramedics. They start asking me questions. I am in such a daze that I barely remember the questions long enough to answer them. I look at the officer. His hairline is receding. I wonder if he's gone through as much pain as I have. He must see the pain in my eyes. I can barely smile. He tells me that he knows what I'm going through, and not to worry. 

I tell him about my sisters, and the whole story. I tell him how scared I am. I tell him about how I know we've told the police all of this already, and I show him one of my bruises. I can tell he understands. I ask him, "Please, sir, find Ian, and make him go away, so we don't have to."

He tells me that when they find him, we'll have a strong case against him. He asks if Ian is eighteen, and I tell him that he is. He tells me that Ian can be tried as an adult. I try to smile and thank him for everything. The officer's eyes squint a little when he smiles, and he says, "We're going to leave an officer here to watch your house. If you need anything, feel free to call us. We're here to help you."

I turn to Professor, after Officer Maxx leaves, and ask, "What do you think was wrong? Did he break a bone or something?" I see his facial response to my question - he takes on a worried look.

The Professor simply says, "It's hard to say right now. A doctor would be the one best able to tell us. Don't worry though, Bubbles. Everything will work out for the best. Why don't you run upstairs, and draw, or do something that will make you totally happy?" 

I decide to take his advice, and I walk upstairs. I walk past Buttercup's room, and realize that Blossom and Buttercup are still in there, alone. I knock on the door, and no one answers. I walk in and notice that they've both fallen asleep. I'm alone again. I sigh and put a blanket over both of them.

I walk into my room, and flop down on my bed. My pillow smells like those sheets you put in the dryer. I rest on my bed for quite a while, not really thinking about anything. I start feeling very tired. I haven't had very much real rest this weekend. I look down at my floor. I wonder who cleaned up the shattered puppy.

I wake up. I can't see anything. I can't move. I begin to panic. I try to flail - to get out of whatever is holding me. I don't know what is going on. Am I tied up and blindfolded? Where am I? I begin to focus. I realize I'm just wrapped up in my blanket, very tightly. I wiggle free, and try to slow my breathing to normal.

I sit up in my bed and look around - everything is normal. I'm fine. I realize it's very late. It's probably three in the morning. It's so dark outside. I look out my window, and can't see anything at all.

I realize I can't sleep. I tell myself to just rest. I can't. I'm too stressed out. I just need to go and watch a video, draw, cook, or do something relaxing. I stand up and walk out of my room. I wonder if Blossom ever went back into her own room. I walk past Professor's bedroom door and hear a light snoring. I bet everyone is sound asleep, and happy. I'm the only one who isn't either.

I walk downstairs. Maybe I'll go watch TV, or a movie. I sit in front of the television and grab the remote. I remember that it's three o'clock in the morning and nothing will be on TV, so I walk over to our movie library. I pick out a DVD of You've Got Mail, my all-time favorite feel-good movie, and start the DVD player.

I curl up on the couch, under a soft blanket and watch. I love this movie. I giggle throughout the silly parts of the movie. It really is relaxing. I watch the sappy end of the movie and smile warmly. Maybe I should watch another movie.

I pick out another happy, romantic comedy, and curl back up on the couch. The subtle light shining in through the living room windows wakes me up. I look around and realize it's Monday. Luckily, the other girls and Professor aren't up yet. I'm not running late. I stand up and stretch. 

I walk upstairs and shower. I get dressed and wrap my towel around my wet hair. Blow drying my hair takes too much energy to do today. I walk downstairs, and see that Professor is in the kitchen, making breakfast.

He looks up when I walk in, and seems almost shocked. "Bubbles, what are you doing up? I thought everyone would still be asleep." He seems worried about me. "I think you need to stay home from school today. I need to know that you're safe, and it's too hard to keep track of you at school."

His words shock me. I do a double take, and realize he's serious. He never agrees to us staying home, unless we're very sick. I respond slowly, "Oh, okay, are you sure? I mean, I feel fine, and I'm not very worried."

"Bubbles, you're staying home - that's final. So, today you can help me run some errands and things - we could even clean the lab." I know he's teasing me with his last statement, but I know he is afraid to leave me home alone. "I know what you're thinking, and yes, Blossom and Buttercup are going to go to school today. They will get your homework for you, and if I call the school they will come straight home - should the need arise." He always does know what I'm thinking. I was just about to ask if they were staying home or not.

"Okay Professor, do you need me to do anything right now? I might go up and make sure everything in my room got put back where it goes. I also have a little homework I never got to this weekend." I smile at him, and the Professor nods in approval. I just want him to know where I am. I giggle and turn around and walk back upstairs.

I walk into my room and close my door behind me. I pull out my writing folder and a pretty blue pen, and start writing a poem. I hear footsteps in the hallway, and momentarily tense up. I realize it's Buttercup going downstairs for breakfast. I finish my poem and start to reorganize my dresser drawers. 

That's when I feel the hand on my shoulder. My body freezes in pure horror. Thoughts are racing through my mind like lightning. It's not Blossom or Buttercup's hand; the hands don't feel like the size of mine. It must be the Professor's hand. I ask, "Did you need something, Professor?" and am startled by who responds.


	10. At Home

"You're such a dork!" Tasha's voice is such a relief. I turn around to see her smiling face. "I just came by to see how you were doing. I haven't heard from you in a while."

I giggle and say, "I tried calling you, and your phone just rang. I didn't know what to think. You always answer the phone."

"Anyway, are you coming to school today? I saw Blossom on the way up, and she already had her backpack on, ready to walk to school. Doesn't she still have to wait ten minutes before she leaves? She has always been so weird! Buttercup is still in her pajamas though I guess. Truly, they are the two extremes." Tasha is so hyper. Too bad she has to go to school - what a waste of energy.

"No, I'm staying home today. The Professor thinks it's best for me." I'm happy about not having to go to school, but I know it's best for me. Who knows where Ian is hiding right now. I mean, he could be outside my window right now. My nerves get to me and I stand up and walk over to the window. "Okay good." I heave a sigh of relief.

"Dude, are you okay?" Tasha can sense my nervousness. I'm sure that she knew what I was doing when I looked out the window. I tell her I'm fine, in one of those tones that demands that she not bring it up anymore. "Okay, well, I guess I'll go. I know you're upset right now, Bubbles. If you need anything, call me on my cell phone. Dad said I could skip school to comfort you, if you needed it. He said he'd excuse it."

Professor and Mr. Sanders are very different. Mr. Sanders doesn't really care if Tasha gets an education or not. I smile at Tasha, and tell her thank you. She smiles back and her ice blue eyes show her true sincerity. She's been my best friend for years. Everybody knows that. She's always here for me, and I'm always there for her. That's what friends do.

She leaves and I find myself on my own again - feeling hopelessly alone. I plod down the stairs and call out to see where the Professor is. He yells back, "I'm out here, Bubbles!" He's outside gardening. Why is he gardening? It's getting toward wintertime. He's a little eccentric sometimes.

I walk outside and sit on the lawn, next to where he's pruning his decorative ground coverings. He was never very good at keeping real plants alive. He just gets those plants that act as filler. They'll die soon though. Then, he'll be sad.

"Bubbles, we need to talk. I know this is all very hard for you. I have bad news though. Officer Maxx called. He told me that Jake is in very bad shape; they told me that there was quite a bit of head trauma. They also said that he is in a coma. He's been unresponsive since he arrived at the hospital. His vital signs aren't very stable, and they don't know if he'll make it." Before Professor even finished telling me that Jake was in a coma, I was crying. I'm steadily weeping now.

The Professor stops pruning, and turns to me. He gives me a hug, and tells me not to worry - that everything will work out. I nod. I don't believe him. Nothing good has been happening in the past three days, and Jake might die from it.

I tell the Professor that I'm going to go watch a movie. He tells me it's a good idea - that I need to get my mind off of things for right now. I walk into the living room, and realize I never ate breakfast. I turn and walk into our airy kitchen, and fix myself a peanut butter sandwich.

I walk back into the living room and start another DVD. I finish my sandwich and decide that I'm too bored to watch a movie. I try to get more comfortable. Maybe if I'm more comfortable I'll be more likely to enjoy the movie. I relax into the couch, and begin to slip back into sleep.

I go to scream when I feel the large, masculine hand on my shoulder. There is another hand over my mouth. No sound comes out. I try to bite the hand over my mouth. I can't see anything. I feel a soft blindfold over my eyes. I try wiggling my eyebrows to move the blindfold. Nothing happens. I am so scared. 

I can't move any of my body. I realize I'm no longer on the couch. I've been lifted in the air. I must have been drugged. I can't force my body to respond. My brain is getting cloudy. My thoughts are getting muddy. The world is getting foggier. Everything goes black.

My thoughts reassemble at the sound of Ian's voice. It used to be such a soothing sound. Now it's nothing more than the real life vocalization of my worst nightmare - a real life scary movie. He tells me, "You never even knew that I was staying in your own house. I was very lucky though; no one has come into this lab in days. I've been making such a mess upstairs, why would they?" I don't respond. I can't respond. I'm gagged.

He realizes my problem, and laughs, "Yes, Bubbles, you always were a bit of a sap. No, I take that back, you were more than a bit of a sap. You were a big sap. Don't get me wrong, Bubbles. I love you. This is the biggest lesson I've ever had to teach you. I need to be a priority in your life. Your sisters, and that Tasha, can't be above me. You need to learn that I am number one in your life. I know you weren't with Jake, but I needed his help. I needed him to lie to Buttercup - maybe she'd think that you were at fault."

He said he loves me. I knew he did. I know he does. He takes off my gag and I tell him, "I love you too, Ian. I knew you were just trying to show me the right way. I don't mean to treat you second to my sisters. I think of you as number one, Ian." I smile a real smile at him; I haven't done too many of those in these past few days.

"Bubbles, listen. I'm going to untie you. I'm going to let you back into your house. I need you to prove your love to me. Otherwise I'm going to kill Tasha. Then, if you still won't love only me, I'll kill your sisters. By then I hope you'd have learned, but if not, then I'll just have to end our relationship one way or another. You do love me, don't you, Bubbly?" I nod a yes answer, and he unties me. He stands me up, and kicks me. I fall to the ground in pain, and he kicks me hard, in the ribs.

He helps me up, and hugs me. He kisses me; it's a hard, emotionless kiss. I don't understand. Maybe that was part of his point. Sometimes I wonder how many other boyfriends are like mine. He sends me up the stairs, and as I walk out the lab door, into our house, I hear the phone ringing. I run to the kitchen and answer it. It's Tasha. She doesn't sound too good.


	11. Homework? Is That All?

"Bubbles, I'm coming over. Don't worry about a thing! Everything will be fine." Her voice sounds shaky and panicked. I don't know what's wrong with her. Before I can respond, she's hung up the phone. I hear the dial tone. I slowly set the phone back on the base.

I wonder what she's so freaked out about. It's not like her to just get scared for no reason. It's not like her to overreact either. People always said Ian overreacted, but I never thought it was true.

Poor Ian, it's no wonder he's been staying in our lab. His family life couldn't have been very great. He had never let me go to his house. He said he was ashamed of it. He never gave me an address or even any idea where his house was. He didn't have a driver's license or even a permit. He's led such a rough life.

Once in a while he would tell me a little about his family. Something here or there about his successful cousin who lives in Beverly Hills, and has a small apartment. Or it might be about how all of his siblings were lucky enough to already have moved out. He always hated being the youngest sibling. He was always picked on.

He used to tell me little bits and pieces about his mom - how she'd drink herself into a stupor every night in front of Jeopardy, and then shout out answers that made no sense at all, like, "Fandarf." He also used to tell me that on most days she was drunk within an hour of being awake. He told me I could never meet her, because the last time a brother brought home a girl, their mom chased her around with a broom. He could never even mention any of the things his father did. I know that they don't even know he's gone. They think he's in his room, probably grounded for being too young to buy them alcohol.

Before I can think too much more about Ian, I hear the familiar knock. Tasha is here and she walks right in. It's what she always does. She walks over to me. I'm still just standing in the kitchen, next to the phone. She must not have called from school. She must have been pretty close to getting here.

She gives me a tight hug and tells me not to worry. I'm so confused. I don't know what I'm supposed to be worried about. "The Professor called me and told me what was going on. He said to hurry over here." I give her a look of total confusion. I ask her what she thinks is going on. She quickly explains, "The Professor said that you were sobbing uncontrollably. You found out about Jake and couldn't stop crying. I had to wait until the end of my class before I could come over and make sure you were okay. You seem all right to me though. In fact, you almost look happy! I don't know what to make of that."

I am still utterly confused. The Professor doesn't know Tasha's cell phone number, does he? Wouldn't he have had Blossom and Buttercup come home with Tasha, too? I'm so confused. What is going on here? As these thoughts are running through my head, Tasha is looking at me, waiting for a response. I realize I've been silent for quite a while now. Before I have time to respond though, the Professor walks in.

He does a slight double take when he sees Tasha in the house, and glances at his watch. "Shouldn't you be in school Tasha? It's just barely lunch time."

She looks up at him in disbelief. "You called and asked me to come home and take care of Bubbles. You said she was crying about Jake. I rushed over as quickly as I could."

The Professor furrows his eyebrows. I can tell that he doesn't like the sound of what Tasha just said. He starts, "Tasha, what phone did you receive that call on? Was it your cell phone?" She slowly nods in response, he goes on to say, "I don't know your cell phone number, so someone else must have been pretending to be me." Sometimes the Professor makes me laugh. He says things that are so obvious.

Tasha seems utterly lost. Maybe it was a good thing Professor told us that. Maybe she hadn't realized that yet. "Professor," I say, "Don't worry. It was probably just a wrong number, or something." After saying that I remember that they had specifically been pretending to be the Professor. Tasha rolls her eyes at me and calls me a dork.

The Professor tells us to go upstairs, and stay in my room until it's safer. Someone knows that I'm here, and they wanted Tasha to be here too. The Professor's worry is making me more worried. I can tell that Tasha is a little worried too. I know she doesn't want to be mixed up in all this.

We go upstairs and sit in my room. She plops down on the fuzzy purple area rug, and I sprawl out on the light blue carpet next to her. She turns to me and asks, "Well, who do you think called me then? Do you think it was Ian? I mean, we know it wasn't Jake, and who else would be calling?"

I just shrug. I don't honestly have any idea why someone would want Tasha to be at my house. I think back to Ian's strong, devoted words - "I need to be a priority in your life." Maybe I need to prove my love to him. Maybe this is why he would have Tasha come over. How do I prove my love to him though? What does he want from me? I don't want to do this wrong.

I think back to when we were both in the lab. He really didn't give me enough information. I rub my side where he kicked me. It's really sore right now. Neither Tasha nor I have spoken in easily three minutes.

She looks at me. I look at her. "Tasha, go home. I'm fine, honestly. The Professor is here, and I'm feeling really tired. I have homework I should be doing, and I have a book I need to read." I try to think of all the excuses I can.

"Oh, that reminds me." She pulls out a stack of papers. "I brought your homework. I took notes in the classes I have with you, and put them in there. Just remember, Bubbles, if you ever need someone to talk to, or even just a hug, I'm here for you. I love you, and I'll help you get through this." She gives me another hug, and slowly pulls herself up, using the back of my desk chair. She winks at me and goes to walk out the door. 

When she reaches the door, and opens it, I see her get very shaky, and fall through the doorway, into the hallway. I rush to her side - not quite sure to make of the situation. I call out to the Professor for help, but am not returned with an answer. Fear jolts my whole body. I need to help her.


	12. Alone Together

I crouch beside Tasha, unsure if she's even breathing. I see that she is, and my vision blurs. I refocus my eyes, and feel my body shake a little. I feel my body slump to the side, and the bruises on my ribs fall and slam against the door jamb. Once again, everything goes black.

My eyelids slowly lift open and I look around the room in a slight daze. My head is pulsing. I'm in the lab again. I slowly turn my eyes to the right and see Tasha. She's strapped onto a table. Her eyes are closed. She's not moving. She must still be out.

I take a moment to take a deep breath, and try to fully wake up. I look around and it seems like we're alone in the downstairs lab. I try to lift my head, and find that there is a strap over my forehead, and my hands and feet are tied down too. I can't move.

I look over to Tasha again, and see that she is slowly waking up. She tries to kick, and she tries to wiggle free of the restraints. She's as unsuccessful as I am. I can sense her tension. I see her try to jerk her head to the left. She sees me. She asks me, frantically, "What is going on? Where are we?" 

I remember that Tasha has never been in the Professor's lab. "Don't worry, I know where we are. We'll get out of this soon. I promise. You're my best friend. I'm here for you." I don't know what we're going to do, but I do know we're both scared - we need to stick together.

Tasha's voice is quivering now, "Bubbles, you have to save us. You know you're strong enough. You can do this, Bubbles! I'd do it, but, well, I don't have superpowers!"

I know she's right. I need to stand up. I need to save my friend. What about Mojo Jojo though? Is this worth the use of my powers? I love Tasha; she's my best friend. I need to save her, but is there another way I can save her? No, there isn't.

Slowly I lift my forehead, with all the strength I can naturally muster. I don't want to use my superpowers. I really don't. I know I'm being selfish. I know I have to. I fly. With all my strength I lift straight up off the table. I don't go anywhere. I'm still held by the restraints. What is wrong?

I try one more time to fly free of the restraints. It doesn't work. I don't know what the problem is. Tasha sees that I'm still struggling, and still restrained. She is still nervous, "Bubbles, try your eyebeams. I know you have it in you still! Don't let Mojo Jojo keep you from being who you are. You are an awesome person and this is just another strengthening battle for you! Remember the courage you had when you were five? Well, now you're eighteen! You're stronger than you've ever been. This is your chance to prove it."

I roll my eyes. "Tasha, you're getting sappy on me. Are you feeling all right?" I'm just trying to avoid reality. I don't want to use my eyebeams - I don't want to betray Ian. I have to save Tasha though. Ian can punish me later. I need to get her out. She doesn't deserve to die, just because I can't listen to my boyfriend. I focus right on the lock, and feel that familiar warmth behind my eyes as my eyebeams fire. Tasha screams as her left hand is freed. 

I fire my eyebeams at all of her restraints until she's free. She jumps off the table, and rushes over to release me. I tell her, "No, Tasha, run. Get out of her. I can get myself out. You need to run! Run somewhere safe. Don't tell anyone where you're going. I'll be fine!" She can obviously hear the pain in my voice. I can practically hear the wheels turning in her brain. I guess she decided I was right, and she tells me thank you. She leaves.

I, again, am left alone. This is getting very upsetting. They always leave me. I don't know when Ian will be back. I miss him. I want to talk to him. I hear the door slam open, and I look over to the doorway. My sisters are flying down the stairs. They've come to rescue me. I'm speechless. 

Blossom, always the bossy one, shouts out, "Buttercup, grab Bubbles! I'll look for Ian." I see Blossom dart around the room, searching different corners and under desks. She finds him. She picks up his limp body, from underneath a counter across the room. She screams an intense, nightmare scream, and whimpers, "He's dead." 

I stare at her. I'm in shock. She's lying. He's just unconscious. I love him. He can't leave me. I wail uncontrollably. I need him. He loves me. After what seems like hours of me screaming, the Professor runs down the stairs, full speed. Blossom shows him the dead body, and he notices that I'm still tied down to the table.

They find the keys to unlock me, and they let me stand up. My shaky body can't hold my weight, and I falter. I catch myself with my right hand, before landing hard on the concrete floor.

"Bubbles, the nightmare is over. Ian is gone now. You don't have to worry." I ignore Blossom as she tries to make me feel better. I am on the couch, trying to sleep. I want to sleep away my pain. Blossom leaves me to myself, and I hear the phone ring. I can't get up. I have no motivation to do anything. I hear Buttercup answer the phone.

"Hello? This is she. How are you doing? Are you okay? What happened?" Her sentences are broken up by the responses of the other person on the phone. "Well, I'm glad to hear that you're stable now. I love you, Jake. I miss you. I'll come visit you in a little while." My eyes get a little wide when I hear my sisters loving side. It's just not something I'm used to.

Buttercup screams for everyone to come into the living room - probably so I wouldn't have to get up. She informs us, "Jake is epileptic. When he left our house that day, he had a seizure right outside our house, and hit his head a few times on the concrete. He's fine, and he's out of the coma. I'm gonna go visit him now." With that, Buttercup leaves the house - probably on the way to the hospital.

I start weeping softly. I just need to know what happened to Ian. My ribs hurt worse than they ever have. I rub them. Just touching them hurts. I just continue to sob on the couch. I really hope I'm not going to school tomorrow. I'll cry all day. They'll all want to know what's happened to me. They'll all have to know my story. I just wish I could be with Ian. He wouldn't hurt me. He wouldn't treat me like that. I really want to know what happened to him.


	13. Emergency Rooms

Night comes. I still haven't moved. I sleep on the couch. Morning comes. Blossom and Buttercup leave for school. I cry. I hate school. I'm glad I don't have to go. They all hate me. Everyone hates me. Ian is gone. He loves me. I love him. He left me. No one loves me now. I rub the bruises on my side again; they are so sore.

Professor comes in, and offers me breakfast. I sigh. That really hurts my bruises. I grimace in pain. I start rubbing my side again. Professor asks me what's wrong. I tell him about these bruises. I ask why they might be so sore. The pain is intensifying. Every breath I take is becoming torture. The Professor thinks we need to go to the emergency room.

We sit in the waiting room. The people are running around, unfazed by the loss of Ian. They all have their own things to worry about. I look up at the automatic door as a man walks in, he's crying. He's carrying a baby in his arms. He rushes to the admittance desk. He's still crying. He looks young - maybe in his late 20s. Through his violent sobs, he tells the woman to help him, "I was walking with my baby, and I tripped. I accidentally landed on her. Please, help her!"

The poor man. He's so upset. The baby is crying now. His pride and joy - he's so afraid that he's harmed her. He just wants her to be okay. She's a beautiful baby. The woman at the admittance desk is telling him that he needs to calm down. She says that the baby will have to wait, and that he needs to fill out forms. He tells her that this is an emergency, and that she's only five months old.

I turn to Professor, "Why is he so upset? I mean, I know she's just a child, and she probably doesn't understand, but this isn't the worst thing that will ever happen to her. She's obviously fine, otherwise she'd be bleeding, or bruised, or something."

"Well, Bubbles, he loves her. He didn't mean to hurt her. He loves that little girl with all his heart, and would never want her to feel any pain." I remember back to when I was five, the Professor looked pretty young back then. Now, he's looking older. I guess raising three teenage girls could be a little harrowing.

I think about what he just said. Ian would never have cried if he accidentally hurt me. He would have laughed at me. Professor starts talking again, "I know what you're thinking. Just look at that man's face." In the middle of his sentences, a woman rushes into the waiting room. She glances around the room, in a panic. She notices the man across the room, and rushes to him. The baby has stopped crying by now. The woman gives him a hug, and tells him that everything will be all right, and that he doesn't need to worry. "Bubbles, look at that woman, it's probably his wife." I notice that they have matching wedding rings. "Do you think she's going to go home and yell at him, or hit him? Look at how happy they are together, even in this situation."

I sit in silence as I stare at my light blue tennis shoes. I know what he's getting at. I don't want to believe it. It's not fair - he's always right. I'm still staring at my shoes, when they call me to the admittance desk, and tell me it's time for the doctor to see me. I wonder why the Professor actually brought me to the emergency room over my stupid bruises. I look around the emergency room's waiting area, and see their problems. I realize my problems aren't as big of a deal as I thought they were. I'm just being a baby, aren't I?

We finish our visit to the emergency room, and the doctors have no explanation why my bruises are so sore. The Professor is just glad that nothing is really wrong. I don't know how to react. This is all so overwhelming. What if Ian never really did love me?

We arrive back at the house. The Professor brings in the mail, and tells me that there is a letter from our principal. There is an All Senior Meeting tonight at seven o'clock. I wonder why the letter was sent with such short notice.

The rest of the day just kind of drifts by. Blossom and Buttercup come home after school. I'm back on the couch. The plate of breakfast is sitting on the table next to me. Blossom walks in, carrying a plate of what looks like tofu and salad. She sets it down next to the breakfast plate. I don't touch either. I'm not hungry.

Before she leaves the room, she turns to me and says, "Hey Bubbles, we're leaving in an hour." She walks toward me, gives me a hug, and then leaves the room. I haul myself up off the couch, and walk upstairs to my room. I come back to reality somewhere in the middle of a shower. I don't know how long I've been upstairs, so I finish rinsing my hair, and hop out of the shower. The shower was nice and refreshing, and I find myself a little more happy, and awake.

I glance at the clock, and see that it's about a half hour until we leave. I throw on a plain black t-shirt, my favorite light blue zip-up sweatshirt, and a pair of flair jeans. I walk over to the mirror, to brush my hair. My eyes look cold - almost eerily empty. It's too hard to look at; I turn away. I brush my hair without the mirror, and attempt to make two buns in the back of my head. I find my sparkly blue earrings, and push them into the holes in my ears. I also add a silver necklace.

I look back in the mirror, hoping that my eyes had just been my imagination. There is a little sparkle to my reflection, but it's just the jewelry I added. My hair looks okay, so I figure I'm ready enough to face the world. I just hope they don't ask any questions.

Buttercup and Blossom walk into my room, and see me staring into the mirror. I'm in another daydream, until Buttercup speaks, "Are you ready to go, or what?" Blossom glares at her, and then I nod slightly. The three of us walk out of the room, down the stairs, and out the door. We arrive at the auditorium a few minutes early, and we talk seats in the back. 

What's strange is that no one is here yet. Of course, there are always sports and things, so maybe people will be a little late, but there should be at least a few people here already. The three of us hear a few loud clicks, that echo through the whole auditorium, and look around nervously. It sounded like doors locking. I'm sitting in between the two girls, and They both stand up, defensively.

I see what they just noticed, on stage. It's someone I haven't seen in years. I gape in horror, as Him walks up to the podium, and tells my sisters to sit down. "Girls, I'm glad you could make it. I've got you locked in now though, so no worries, dears." The glint in his eye is nothing but pure evil. What does he want from us? We haven't heard from him in years!


	14. The Senior Meeting

Him stops talking. Buttercup stands up and screams, "What the hell do you want from us, you big pansy? You haven't messed with us in thirteen years, and now you wait until my sister is having the worst week of her life to come screw with us? What is your issue? I should kick the crap out of you!"

Blossom turns to Buttercup, and pulls her back into her seat. She hisses, "Buttercup, shut up. Maybe he just wants to talk to us. Just don't piss him off."

We hear the maniacal laughter from the front of the room. It's an eerie, echo of cold death, ringing in our ears. Him is giggling, "Girls, don't be silly. Of course I want to talk to you, but I want so much more from you too. I want revenge." His voice is cold, and slow.

The three of us shift our eyes, back and forth, looking at each other. Fear is ingrained in both of their faces. I can only imagine what expression my face is revealing about me. Blossom stands up, "What do you mean, 'revenge'? What have we ever done to you?"

Him blinks slowly, and drawls, "You forced me to kill my youngest son. That stupid little Bubbles. She befriended my son, and he wasn't strong enough. I had to kill her. It was our plan all along for him to kill her, but I think he fell," he pauses slightly, "In love. What a stupid boy. I had to kill him."

Now it's my turn to stand up, "Your son was Ian?" I ask, slightly confused about how that worked out. It's no wonder Ian never told me about his father. 

Buttercup starts talking now, "Him, I have to tell you, your son wasn't much of a murderer. He actually asked someone to help him, who confessed most of the plan to me. I don't know where you went wrong!"

With that sentence, Blossom yells out, "Girls, flower petal attack!" We hadn't practiced this attack, since the day Mojo Jojo died. We all remember it as if we had done it yesterday, though. The three of us fly up into the air, and Blossom and Buttercup dart to the corners of the room. I stay in the center. We all spiral straight up toward the ceiling, and then, still corkscrewing, fly toward Him. We spiral faster and faster, braiding ourselves around each other, until we are practically a flaming ball of fire.

We hit Him at our highest speed, and he is thrown back against the wall. His head hits the wall with a sickening thwack. His body slumps against the wall, totally lifeless. His eyes stare up at the podium, empty. Then we see the blood dripping down the wall by his head. 

I whisper, "I - I think he's dead." We all look to each other. We've taken another life. At that same moment, we hear the auditorium doors opening, and Tasha rushes in.

"I stopped by to see how you were doing, and the Professor asked why I wasn't at the meeting. I knew something was wrong, so I called the police. They should be hear soon. Are..." She fades off, as she notices the limp body on the stage.

We all look around at each other. We're unsure of what's going to happen. Will we be arrested? I start to cry. We all group together and hug. I notice that a fat tear is slowly dripping down Buttercup's cheek. What were we thinking? We're past the time of monsters, and saving Townsville. The police aren't going to understand this. As if on cue, they enter, with their guns drawn.


	15. Epilogue

****

---Epilogue---

Thinking back, the police asked us tons of questions that day. We answered as carefully as we could. We didn't want anything bad to happen to us. It wasn't really our fault. The police said that we did it in self-defense, and we were told to go home. 

Sadly, Tasha's father had a heart attack four days after Him's death, and he passed away as well. She had no other family, and her father had written in his will that she should move in with us. We were already eighteen, and her father had left her money for college.

The year finished quickly, and we graduated. When I look in the mirror, my eyes still don't look the same. They are still a cold, steel feeling of emptiness. There is a slight hint of glimmer, as my life passes.

On my first day of college, I sat next to Karrick. He and I are married now, and we're incredibly happy. We're still in college, but we'll be graduating soon. I have told him everything that happened to me when I was eighteen, and about Mojo Jojo when I was five. He actually cares for me, and would never hurt me. My bruises don't hurt anymore, but they're still faintly there - a reminder of what could have been, I suppose. 

****

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End Author's Note: There may be a sequel or prequel coming out sometime. So, if you liked this story, look for those!

Any and all characters or places in this story that are property of Cartoon Network's The Powerpuff Girls are not mine. They are Cartoon Network's and Craig McCracken's. I do not mean to infringe upon Copyright violations with use of these characters for this fanfic.


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